Felicity Jones and Joe Alwyn led the arrival of stars at the photocall for their film The Brutalist during the Venice International Film Festival in Italy on Sunday.
The 40-year-old actress looked demure as she hit the red carpet in a chic black and white belted dress, which she paired with black strappy heels.
Felicity’s backless dress was paired with minimal accessories and the film star wore her brunette locks in a pretty low ponytail.
She was joined by fellow actor Joe, 33, who looked equally stylish in an all-black ensemble, consisting of a black shirt and suit with boots.
The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet, is one of 21 films competing for the festival’s prestigious Golden Lion.
Felicity Jones (pictured) and Joe Alwyn led the arrival of stars at the photocall for their film The Brutalist during the Venice International Film Festival in Italy on Sunday
She was joined by fellow actor Joe (pictured), 33, who looked equally stylish in an all-black ensemble, consisting of a black shirt and suit with boots
The actress, 40, looked demure as she hit the red carpet in a chic black and white belted dress, which she paired with black strappy heels
The Brutalist is a post-war epic about a Holocaust survivor trying to build a life in America.
Director Brady Corbet said at the festival: ‘The film is about the physical manifestation of the trauma of the 20th century. It is dedicated to the artists who could not realize their vision.’
The film, starring Hungarian architect Adrien Brody, is inspired by Jean-Louis Cohen’s book Architecture in Uniform and will have its world premiere on Sunday.
Spanning decades, The Brutalist tells the story of László Tóth and his attempts to continue his art in America after the war.
Brady plays Tóth and Felicity his wife, Erzsébet. He lives in near-poverty until a wealthy industrialist, Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), gives him a major contract. Joe and Alessandro Nivola also star.
Brady said it was a character and a story that he “felt an immediate kinship and understanding for.”
His mother, photographer Sylvia Plachy, was a Hungarian immigrant who fled the anti-Soviet revolution in 1956 to start over and build a life as an artist.
Brady said, “Even though it’s fiction, it feels very real and very genuine to me,” Brody said. “That’s so important to me, to embody a character and make it real.”
Joe Alwyn, Alessandro Nivola, Stacy Martin and Felicity (pictured left)
The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet, is one of 21 films competing for the festival’s prestigious Golden Lion
The Brutalist ran for 215 minutes (with a 15-minute intermission) and was shown in 70mm format. Expectations were high.
Brady wore sunglasses and was emotional as he spoke about the film, which he worked on for seven years.
“This film does everything we’ve been told not to do,” Corbet said, adding that discussions about running time are “stupid.”
“I’ve read great novellas, I’ve read great multi-volume masterpieces,” Corbet said.
“Maybe the next thing I do will be about 45 minutes, and I should be allowed to do that. … As Harmony Korine once said, cinema is stuck in the birth canal. And I agree with him.”
In 2018, Corbet brought his controversial Vox Lux to Venice, starring Natalie Portman as a pop star who witnessed a school shooting as a young boy.
He previously premiered The Childhood of a Leader there.
Brady wrote the script with his wife Mona Fastvold, who is also a filmmaker. Brady thanked the Venice Film Festival for its support.
“When no one supported these films, this festival did,” he said. “It made my films possible.”
Joe, Alessandro, Stacy and Felicity posed together at the event
Felicity posed with her co-star Guy Pearce
(L-R) Joe Alwyn, Alessandro Nivola, Stacy Martin, Felicity Jones, Isaach De Bankolé, Adrien Brody, Emma Laird, Guy Pearce and Raffey Cassidy
Stacy looked stylish in a beige tuxedo dress and a funky belt